Discover Cartagena’s rich contrasts with your local host on a five-day private tour. Explore colonial history, vibrant neighborhoods, afro-Colombian cuisine, and daily life in authentic barrios. From salsa dancing to secluded beaches, this experience blends luxury with raw local charm.

Beyond the walled city

Experience Cartagena’s vibrant contrasts on this 5-day private journey led by your local host and fixer. From the colonial charm of the walled city to the authentic barrios where Colombians live today, you’ll uncover the layers of this storied port city. Walk through tunnels and fortresses, visit bustling local markets, and savor Afro-Colombian cuisine.

Step off the beaten path to explore the island of Tierra Bomba, where life remains untouched by mass tourism. Connect with locals through home-cooked meals, salsa dancing, and authentic encounters that blend Cartagena’s rich history with its modern vibrancy.

Relax in 5-star accommodations, unwind on pristine beaches, and venture down dusty roads on moto taxis as you immerse yourself in a fusion of luxury and local life. This is Cartagena as few get to experience it—real, raw, and unforgettable.

Next Departures

AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Starting Price

$1,950

per person

Group Size

2-6

Travelers Max.

Itinerary

Day 1

The Old City

After checking in at your hotel in a former Spanish colonial mansion you’ll meet your local host, Mercelys, in the late afternoon. Together you’ll venture out into the historical center and meet a local expert for a guided tour of the walled city, including the house of the inquisition, Bolivar park, and the ramparts built to defend the port from corsairs like Francis Drake.

You’ll watch the sunset on the impressive, coral stone walls before enjoying an authentic Colombian meal with gourmet local dishes and specialty cocktails.

‍Walking: 2 hours

Day 2

Cartagena From Above

Accompanied by Mercelys and a local guide, this morning you’ll take a van outside of the walled city to the Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa. From its position atop a hill in the center of the city you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the city as you learn about daily contradictions and racial conflicts of colonial life as well as the strategic importance and defensive fortifications that protected the departing point for Spanish galleons carrying treasure to Spain.

Considering history from the perspective of a local Cartegenan, you'll take in the view from the lookout at La Popa before heading back down to sea level to the star-shaped fortress of San Felipe–the 500-year-old stronghold that was the main defensive fortification for the city and port during colonial rule.

Your morning considerations of the wealth, power, and poverty of colonialism will conclude with a lunch in the colorful and bustling local market of Bazurto where you’ll try one of the famous rice dishes cooked in large pots. After a delicious local meal and a tour of the market you’ll return to the hotel to rest or join your local host for an introduction to some of the local artisans at las bóvedas in the walled city.

You’ll be free in the evening to further explore the walled city or to venture to the nearby neighborhood of Getsemaní for cocktails and dancing.

Walking: ~4 hours

Day 3

Tierra Bomba Island

After breakfast Mercelys will meet at your colonial hotel and you’ll check out before catching the locals’ shuttle boat to Tierra Bomba island. Here you’ll get to see a piece of the real Cartagena, still untouched by mass tourism and the place that local boat captains, restaurant workers, and cleaning personnel call home.

You’ll get special access to the tunnels of the fort and observe the daily life of locals as you explore this community. Your local host will invite you to a cooking lesson and a typical lunch in her home and introduce you to friends and neighbors. You may decide to play checkers next door or take the moto taxis around the town before checking into your beach hotel on the west side of the island. You’ll be free to relax this evening.

Boat time: 30 mins

Walking: ~1 hour

Day 4

Swimming, Snorkeling, and Trocha

Today's activities are dedicated to the Colombian art of ocio (focused leisure) as you lounge on the beach outside your hotel, snorkel through the warm Caribbean, or take an optional three-hour scuba diving lesson. In the afternoon you’ll have the option to meet up with your local host again and explore the countryside and secret beaches of the island. Between motorbike rides, Mercelys will show you the normal daily lives of Colombians and tell you the stories of her childhood growing up on Tierra Bomba.

In the evening you’ll have a private salsa lesson with Bocachica locals.

Walking: ~1 hour

Day 5

Hasta la Próxima

After checking out of your beach hotel you’ll take the shuttle boat back to the port where a car will transfer you to the airport. Your local host will be available to coordinate transportation and arrival to the airport or the next leg of your Colombian adventure whether you're carrying on to Santa Marta and the Ciudad Perdida, Bogota, or Medellín. You’ll leave this city having learned about history, socio-economic complexities, and made local connections. You won’t leave this place without already planning to return.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

What people say

No items found.

Trip at a Glance

Tour Dates

AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Starting Price

$1,950

per person

Group Size

2-6

Travelers Max.

What’s Included

Private transportation

All transportation including airport transfers, van taxi, shuttle boats, and moto taxis

Elegant accommodations

Four nights at four and five-star hotels

Meals

All breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners

Entrances & guided experiences

All entrances to forts and museums, local guides, and hotel tips

Dedicated tour manager

Your Alithea guide throughout the trip.

Flights

Round-trip international flights for your group, with all travel logistics arranged and coordinated by Alithea.

What’s not Included

Flights

International flights are not included and should be booked separately

Extra drinks

During free time or personal meals.

Travel Insurance

Required for peace of mind.

No items found.

Tour tips

Pack Light

This is some text inside of a div block.

Come Prepared

This is some text inside of a div block.

Bus and Travel Time

This is some text inside of a div block.

FAQ

For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

explore@alitheatravel.com

This is some text inside of a div block.

A Christian Classical Approach to Travel

Travel encourages a living experience of art, history, and ideas that transforms the classroom into an immersive experience of truth, beauty, and goodness. Museums, meals, archeological sites, and foreign languages are not merely artifacts that help students consider the world, they cultivate a love of wonder, moral imagination, and a rich understanding of the truth. More than a student trip, travel is an invitation to become a lifelong practitioner of the loves that shape the soul.

The Prayerful Traditions of Europe

Rather than treating churches and monasteries as defunct historical monuments, Alithea and Oakdale Academy invite students to approach them as places of prayer and worship

FAQ

For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

explore@alitheatravel.com

Tour Dates

Included

Not Included

Cartagena High and Low

Next Departures

Starting Price

Group Size